Chapter 89: Second Movement
Inside the Tsukikage Island Community Center, Kogoro Mouri and Inspector Megure had been discussing the case for what felt like hours. Finally, they looked at each other and fell silent—their usually sharp minds completely stumped.
The two normally quick-witted men had run into a wall.
"Mouri-kun, are you getting sleepy? I've been waiting for you to doze off so I can work out the deduction," Inspector Megure joked half-heartedly.
"Huh?"
Kogoro blinked in confusion.
Suddenly, hurried footsteps echoed from outside.
Both men turned toward the door.
BANG!
The door burst open with considerable force.
"Inspector Megure! We've got a problem!"
This was one of the officers who should have been on duty at the base of the cliff. What was he doing back here?
"What happened?"
Inspector Megure's exhausted expression immediately sharpened into serious focus.
"Another person's been killed! The body was just thrown off the cliff—it landed right in front of us!"
"What?!" Both men shot to their feet, their faces mirroring identical shock.
Only then did they notice the blood splattered across the officer's uniform.
The murderer was incredibly brazen. Killing someone was bad enough, but dumping the body right in front of police officers was blatant provocation.
Inspector Megure waved his hand decisively, his voice grave. "Contact Metropolitan Police headquarters. I want twenty more officers here immediately. We're turning this entire island upside down!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Damn killer!" Kogoro frowned deeply. "What about the victim's identity? Who was it?"
The officer replied uncertainly, "Another headless corpse, but judging from the clothing, it appears to be Kawashima Hideo—the man who visited the community center this afternoon."
"Uncle! Inspector! The murderer—the murderer just appeared at the cliff, and they're most likely a woman!"
Conan burst out from behind the officer, lugging an oversized suitcase.
The announcement of a second victim shocked everyone present.
But what did Conan mean about the killer being a woman?
Before Kogoro could respond, Conan rapidly recounted his experience at the cliff. However, he deliberately omitted any mention of Asai Narumi—he still lacked concrete evidence, and he couldn't establish a clear motive for her to harm these two men.
Just then, music suddenly began playing from somewhere within the community center.
"That's the first movement of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata!" Conan's expression changed drastically. Without catching his breath, he spun around and sprinted toward the source of the sound.
Kogoro cursed under his breath at the kid's recklessness and hurried after him, Inspector Megure close behind.
The group quickly arrived at the restroom where Kuroiwa Tatsuji had died.
Since the body's head had been removed, no guards had been posted—only police tape cordoned off the area.
The music was emanating from inside.
"Get back!"
Kogoro grabbed Conan by the collar and shoved him aside, following Inspector Megure through the entrance.
Conan muttered a curse under his breath and slipped in behind them anyway.
A tape recorder sat on the bathroom floor, the haunting melody flowing from its speakers.
"What the hell? You scared me half to death!" Kogoro complained. "Who's inconsiderate enough to leave a tape recorder here in the middle of the night?"
He slammed the stop button and turned to Inspector Megure. "Inspector, isn't anyone watching this scene? Looks like some random person snuck in here to play a prank."
Inspector Megure replied irritably, "I only brought four men with me. Two are guarding the cliff, one's writing up reports, and the last one is specifically researching Aso Keiji. There's no manpower to spare for guarding a bathroom."
Kogoro considered this and nodded. Besides, Village Chief Kuroiwa's severed head had already been taken as evidence. There really wasn't any reason to continue posting a guard.
"Uncle, look—there's something here." Conan's innocent voice called out.
"You little brat!" Kogoro raised his fist, but his eyes were drawn to what Conan was pointing at.
On the floor where Conan indicated, someone had written strange symbols in dark red—either paint or blood.
He studied them for several moments.
"This is... sheet music?" Kogoro frowned, examining the markings more closely before turning to Inspector Megure. "This wasn't here originally, was it?"
Inspector Megure shook his head firmly. These symbols definitely hadn't been present during his earlier crime scene investigation. They must have appeared alongside the tape recorder.
Conan rubbed his fingers together after touching the substance. "It's blood. Already congealed. This has been here for at least half an hour."
"The tape recorder must have been set on a timer—there's probably a long blank section at the beginning of the recording."
Kogoro and Inspector Megure now felt certain that the horrific murders plaguing Tsukikage Island were connected to Aso Keiji, the pianist who had died twelve years ago.
"Something's wrong! We've got another emergency!"
The voice was familiar—the elderly officer from the Tsukikage Island police station.
His voice arrived several seconds before he did, and when he finally appeared in the doorway, he was panting heavily.
He wiped cold sweat from his brow. "The Moonlight Sonata is playing from Kawashima Hideo's residence! It's the same piano piece that former Village Chief Kameyama Isamu was playing when he died two years ago!"
Conan abruptly checked his watch. It was already 1:30 AM on the night of the full moon.
"Looks like the killer has struck again." Kogoro's expression turned grim as he met Inspector Megure's eyes.
Combined with the earlier report about the body being dumped off the cliff, it was almost certain the victim this time was Kawashima Hideo himself.
Inspector Megure, clearly on the same wavelength as Kogoro, nodded decisively. "You check the Kawashima residence. I'll head down to the cliff to identify the body."
"Right!"
Conan diligently copied the blood-written sheet music into his notebook.
After a moment's hesitation, he decided to follow Kogoro. He still had the sheet music left behind by Aso Keiji, and combined with the notation found in this bathroom, there might be a connection. He needed to investigate what secret the Moonlight Sonata held.
The case's development was completely unexpected—the whole situation seemed chaotic and random.
Four questions plagued Conan's mind:
First, Kuroiwa Tatsuji clearly died around noon. So why did the recorder and Moonlight Sonata sheet music only appear in the early morning hours?
Second, why were there women's high-heeled footprints at the cliff's edge? Were these left by the murderer? Is Asai Narumi involved in this case after all?
Third, why did the killer choose to throw both bodies off the cliff? What's the meaning behind this method? Aso Keiji was burned to death—if this is revenge, shouldn't the murders involve fire?
Fourth, what secrets do the Moonlight Sonata and the blood-written sheet music hold? What's the real relationship between Aso Keiji, Kuroiwa Tatsuji, and Kawashima Hideo?
When they arrived at Kawashima Hideo's residence, every light in the house blazed brightly. A sizable crowd had gathered at the entrance—most of them neighbors awakened by the sound of the Moonlight Sonata.
Due to the circumstances of Kameyama Isamu's death two years prior, the residents of this small island had become hypersensitive to that particular piece. The neighbors had immediately called the police upon hearing it.
Guided by the local officer, Kogoro made his way to the second-floor study.
The Moonlight Sonata was emanating from within.
"It's the second movement!"
Conan's perfect pitch allowed him to immediately distinguish this recording from the one played at the community center.
Ignoring the tape recorder for the moment, Conan scanned the room carefully.
He quickly discovered exactly what he'd been expecting!
(End of Chapter 89)
[+500 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter]
[+10 Reviews = +1 Extra Chapter]
If you enjoyed this chapter, leave a Review!
P*atreon/Soulforger (30+ advanced chapters)
Buy me coffee - ko-fi*com/soulforger01